Wolfblood

An RTS North West event at the Lowry Theatre, Salford at the end of October – “Children’s drama: from concept to screen” – looked at how the best shows are put together.

On the panel assembled for the event were the executive producer of The Worst Witch, Marcus Wilson; senior drama producer, CBBC Independents, Amy Buscombe; Lime Pictures drama chief Rebecca Hodgson; and Hank Zipzer producer Jim Poyser. The panel was chaired by head of CBBC production Helen Bullough. 

As if we don’t have enough drama in our lives right now, I have to welcome the fact that so much of the TV variety is being filmed here in North East England. 

I dropped in on the set for CBBC’s special-effects-laden thriller Wolfblood, at a disused office block in North Shields, and of ITV’s long-running whodunnit Vera, filmed at old shipping buildings on the River Tyne.  

Here in the North East, it doesn't take long to detect a growing appetite for culture and the creativeindustries. After years of eye-watering investment in regeneration, manufacturing and infrastructure, civic leaders are prioritising design, content production and interactive digital media.

And young people are queuing up in their thousands to gain the skills and qualifications to pursue creative careers.